A story to take you out of this world. Literally.

A veteran astronaut in space and a lonely amateur radio operator in Donegal find each other by chance in the most unusual way, in this lyrical and searching play that explores our need for human connection against all the odds.

Static is a world premiere production written by Jimmy McAleavey and directed by John King, a former Abbey Theatre Resident Director.

Although initially inspired by a real-life event during the collapse of the Soviet Union in the 1990s (see more below), this exploration of isolation, communication, and the double-edged role of technology feels more relevant today than ever.

Discover the rest of our 2025 programme here.

Director John King discusses Static 

Watch our interview with John here.

Jimmy McAleavey  

Jimmy McAleavey was born in Belfast.  He has had plays produced by the Abbey Theatre, where he was also an associate writer.  He is currently writing a play for Rough Magic and is working on a feature film.  He has had numerous plays produced by Tinderbox and radio plays and stories produced by the BBC.  Awards include the Stewart Parker Major Bursary and the Arts Council of Northern Ireland Major Individual Artist Award.  He teaches creative writing at Queen’s University Belfast. 

Did you hear the one about the man from Donegal and the Mir space station? 

While this play is not at all based on the real life people involved, a newspaper story in 1991 helped spark Jimmy McAleavey’s imagination. As the Soviet Union was coming apart, a cosmonaut Sergei Krikalev was orbiting Earth in the Mir space station. As rapidly evolving events on the ground disrupted communications and prevented his return to Earth, he made contact with a number of amateur radio operators, including Manus Joe McClafferty from Falcarragh. As Jimmy McAleavey says “This was pre-internet, pre-mobile phones, and that kind of communication seemed miraculous at the time.”

Above is an article from The Irish Times archive documenting the efforts to return Krikalev to Earth in 1992 after 10 months in orbit. Now, more than 30 years later, Static comes to the Peacock Stage to explore human connection despite the odds.

Static Cast